A Little Trick
by Ivydoll
Summary: PercyNev. Late at night, Neville is still doing homework, and Percy knows how to cheat.


**(KAI)** I love PercyNev shipping... (waves flag)  
I got an A in Faking the Latin 101.   
'Ecaps' is just 'space' spelled backward and 'amorte' might have a real Latin meaning-  
But who knows?

---

**A Little Trick**

He awoke to a distant thump and scuffle. The noise was much too small for anyone else in the sixth year dormitory to notice; but years of listening for even the tiniest explosions from the twins' room had effectively heightened Percy's auditory awareness. _Effectively_.

He swung his long feet onto the cold floor- and for a moment he became more concerned with where he'd left his slippers than with whomever was still in the common room. The sniffling, however, gave him pause. A concerned sort of temper overtook him, and, briefly fumbling for his glasses, Percy sped out of the dorm.

---

It was dreadfully dark- save for a space near the fire. The small illumination seemed almost warmer than the tiny flames that fought for life in the hearth. He couldn't quite see who it was that had woken him, but certainly that was no excuse for such disregard for the curfew.

"You there, have you got any idea what time it is?"

"Percy?" the culprit stood warily from the ground, an arm wound haphazardly across gathered papers, a quill perched precariously over his ear.

"Neville," Percy ran a hand through his tousled red hair, a strange, pleasant relief cooling his temper, "why on earth are you still up?"

"Please don't send me to bed just yet!" the fourth-year wavered tiredly, breathing faster, "It's this assignment- I just have to-"

"Calm down," he lifted a hand to the boy as his breath hitched, "I understand perfectly, just- just calm down."

Percy made his way towards Neville in a sleepy, almost drunken manner, and, almost unconsciously, wiped several hysteric tears from the younger's face before seating himself opposite on a blue love seats of sorts- rather comfortable. The blonde boy followed suit. He forlornly held a piece of parchment; the quill had found its way between his teeth.

"I need three more inches, see?" Percy nodded at Neville's gesture, "But I can't add another sentence. I could have used more words here and here and _here_ and it would be fine; the only way is to rewrite it."

The blonde sighed, looking down. He knew Percy would send him to bed; Percy was wonderful and responsible. If only he'd worked harder!

"All right," the Weasley yawned, "let me just show you a trick and then you must promise me to go straight-away to bed."

Neville glanced up; Percy had slouched down and looked half-asleep. And then- Percy knew a _trick_? There was something vaguely wrong- vaguely surreal- with that.

"What do I do?"

Percy sat up, rubbing an eye. "Come here then-" he yawned, "I don't want to move."

Neville plopped down next to the older boy, presenting the parchment, hearing a mumbled, "Got your wand?"

The fourteen year-old frowned, "I'll go get it."

---

Seamus rolled over to look at Neville- judging by his body language...

"You're blushin'- why are you up an' blushin'?"

Neville gripped the wand possessively, "Well, um- I-"

"You've got Percy out there, doncha, Nev?" Seamus smiled knowingly as Neville nodded his head slowly, "Well, then! Go out there an' let 'im 'ave it!"

"Ha-have what- I- Seamus, what if he doesn't, I mean-" the boy floundered; sharing any sort of secret- let alone a crush- was a double-edged sword if shared with someone like Seamus Finnigan.

Seamus snorted, "Hmph! No one ever believes me- Neville! He likes you; I've watched him. He thinks you're cute."

"Okay..." Neville said softly, disregarding the somewhat creepy leer the other boy was sending his way, "Um, thank you?"

"No problem, Nev," the sandy-haired teen rolled over again, "you just keep it down out there."

"Seamus!" Neville blushed, somewhat upset that his friend would suggest he'd-

The Irish boy looked over his shoulder pointedly and said, "Don't keep him _waitin'_."

"Oh!"

Seamus grinned as Neville shot, cannon-like, from the dorm.

---

The red-head had fallen into a doze where he sat, arms folded. He'd been having a remarkbly pleasant recurring half-dream involving Neville's gentle hands and a picnic, spread across a green field in the middle of nowhere...

"Percy?" the star of his dream shook his shoulder, sitting beside him carefully, "Wake up, now."

"Urmph?" Percy's eyes opened suddenly, revealing a lovely, albeit startled, shade of springy green; which, although they did not indicate he was indeed receiving a nice shoulder massage and being offered watermelon, were rather nice to wake up to.

"The, um, the trick?" Neville snatched the parchment from the floor, where it was only modestly crumpled.

"Ah. Come here," Percy moved until he was half-behind the younger boy, "all right; point it where you want to add something," Nev positioned the wand, which was ironically slender in comparison to its owner, and tried to ignore the heat of Percy's body; so close.

"Drag the wand across the paper-" Neville smiled as Percy laid his hand on his own to guide him, "-and just say '_ecaps amorte_'."

"_Ecaps amorte_," Neville whispered as Percy gently led his hand. The words he had written moved forward, all of them, in a neat march. He gasped delightedly, "I can do it!"

Percy smiled and rested his chin on Neville's shoulder, "Now you can write in whatever you need."

"This is amazing! Thank you, Percy..." Neville scrawled words into the newly provided space. It was incredibly unusual for a spell to work, just _work_, for him. The heat of Percy's arms, both resting lightly around him, was a small reminder that he may very well have been helped, magically speaking. In time, having whispered the spell twice more, it was finished.

"Time for bed," Percy said, rather unwittingly letting his disappointment slip into the words. He shifted, hands trailing across Neville's shoulders, and stood, offering a hand to the boy. Neville sighed and accepted, grasping Percy's long-fingered hands gratefully and blushing. They faced each other in the dying firelight, neither letting go.

"Thanks again..." Nev looked at the redhead adoringly, parchment gripped to his chest. It was incredible just to have a few moments of the older teen's attentions.

Percy looked at the young boy gently; he was cute- always had been- but was also remarkably sweet. He leaned a bit, thinking, It would be nice... to get to know him better, "It's nothing..."

"No, you're great, really-" Neville was cut off, Percy's warm lips pressed softly to his own. "...I mean it..." the younger blushed lightly, euphoric.

"So do I," Percy leaned down again, breathless with a sort of excitement he'd never quite experienced before; a curious affection for just this boy... Neville tilted his chin up, trembling with Percy's hands in his soft, blonde hair. This... this is happening to _me_... Neville thought, shyly grasping onto Percy's sharp shoulders.

The papers went fluttering to the ground. A shuffling a parchment.

Neither noticed Seamus, smiling in the doorway of the fourth-year dorm: In his hand, a moving-picture camera, recording.


End file.
